BLOG: We're Thankful!

by Jennifer Wemhoff, Groundwater Foundation

My family and I started a new tradition this year - a Thankful Pumpkin. For the past couple weeks after dinner, we take turns sharing things we're thankful for and we write them on the pumpkin. It's a great visual reminder of how blessed we are, and it's been fun to hear from my kids the things they're thankful for. Our pumpkin has everything from Grandma, books, spinach, and fuzzy socks to our house, bacon, school, and water.

On social media this month, we've been sharing what we're thankful for here at the Groundwater Foundation on Thankful Thursdays. Here are a few of what we've shared:

We hope you have a Thanksgiving full of blessings. We're thankful for you! Happy Thanksgiving!

It's Water-Wise Wednesdays with Frannie the Fish! {Happy Thanksgiving!}

It’s almost Thanksgiving! Frannie is hosting a huge Thanksgiving meal for her friends and family to show how thankful she is for their presence. Even though there will be a lot of cooking and cleaning, here are some tricks Frannie loves to use to stay water-smart during this time of year.

1)  Give yourself enough time to defrost your turkey. A popular method to quickly defrost turkey and other meats on the big day is to soak them in cold water. Instead, try planning ahead and place your turkey in the refrigerator a few days before. Just remember: the bigger the turkey, the more time it needs to thaw.
Bonus Tip: Put the turkey in a pan or plastic bag to catch any leaking juices. 

2)  Wash your veggies and fruits in a large bowl of water. Instead of using running water to rinse all the veggies, use a bowl to cut down the amount of water that goes down the drain. Then, give that grey water cleaning duty and soak the roasting pan, dirty utensils, or other dishes before washing them.


3)  Steaming your vegetables instead of boiling them not only conserves water, but also preserves more nutrients and vitamins. If you don’t have a special steamer, you can place your veggies and a few tablespoons of water in a microwave safe container with a lid and microwave them for a few minutes. No microwave? Place inexpensive metal forks on the bottom of a pot, fill with a few tablespoons of water, and then let veggies steam in a heat-safe plate on top of forks.

4)  When cleaning dishes, carefully and completely load up your dishwasher and only run full loads.  Did you know that an ENERGY STAR-rated dishwasher can use as little as three gallons? If you wash dishes by hand, fill one basin with wash water and the other with rinse water.  And remember, put that grey water you used to wash veggies to work by soaking dirty pans and dishes to make the whole process easier.

Happy Thanksgiving!

BLOG: We're Thankful

 by Jennifer Wemhoff, The Groundwater Foundation

Ah, Thanksgiving. Perhaps my favorite holiday, because it centers around family, food, and togetherness, and involves much less stress than already-in-stores Christmas. While I try to be grateful every day for my life's blessings, I like that Thanksgiving is a time to pause and reflect on the good that is in the world. 

As is many family's customs, I like to ask my family what they're thankful for. My darling six year old rattled off a long list: Mom and Dad, her sister, our house, her best friend, her teacher, and her toys. My three year old's answer was much more concise: Everything!

As a nonprofit, The Groundwater Foundation is in a constant state of thankfulness - we're fortunate to have amazing partners, supporters, members, and constituents that share our passion and drive to protect and conserve groundwater. If you've been following us on Twitter and Facebook this month, every Thursday we've shared a few things we're thankful for. And with that in mind, I challenged my fellow Groundwater Foundation staff members to reflect on what they're thankful for:

Jane Griffin, President

The list of things to be thankful for goes on and on - and the common denominator in that list is the people. Caring, passionate, driven and determined people working to protect and conserve groundwater!  This year we were able to gather many of those people together in Boise to share and further inspire the work to continue.  I was truly inspired by and thankful for the people that make all of this happen. For those of you who were not able to join us know that we appreciate and are thankful for all you are doing in your community!

Sara Brock, Program Manager

I am thankful for having the opportunity to be a part of The Groundwater Foundation for the past year as a program manager. I have met many excellent people in the state government, in local utility departments, in schools, and even in summer camp who are pursuing a better understanding of groundwater and the issues facing it. Traveling across Nebraska, I've spoken to water operators, who are using innovative methods to treat groundwater, and STEM educators, who are integrating groundwater science with engineering, business, and other disciplines. In my experience with the Groundwater Guardian program, I've also been fortunate to talk to operators, educators, and decision makers across the US and learn about groundwater issues facing different regions as well as community response. I look forward to continuing working with The Groundwater Foundation to grow my understanding of what a community needs to keep its groundwater and residents healthy and safe.

As for me, I echo my colleagues' words. The absolute best part of my job is the people I've had the privilege of working with for nearly 18 years. I'm thankful that a shared passion for  groundwater brought me to them, many of whom I consider friends. I'm thankful that so many people are working to protect this resource, and that we can all be part of the solution for clean, sustainable groundwater.

Happy Thanksgiving from your friends at The Groundwater Foundation!

  

"Gobbling" Water This Thanksgiving

by Jennifer Wemhoff, The Groundwater Foundation

Ah, Thanksgiving, One of my favorite holidays. Why? It centers around a delicious meal, family, and appreciating the blessings in our lives.

We don't often think about the water footprint of a large meal like a traditional Thanksgiving dinner spread - turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce. And wine, of course. But think big picture about the amount of water required to produce that meal - from the water used to grow the vegetables to the amount needed to feed/house/process the turkey. Some estimates:

• Turkey requires roughly 468 gallons of water per pound; so a 20 pound bird takes 9,360 gallons of water.
• Canned cranberry sauce takes 1,559 gallons to produce and hold the shape of the can when it's removed.
• My personal favorite - mashed potatoes. A whopping 2,528 gallons for the spuds.
• And a close second - wine, which takes between 50 and 75 gallons for one 8 ounce glass (depending on where the wine is produced/shipped).

This doesn't even factor in other Thanksgiving staples, like stuffing, gravy, green bean casserole, or pumpkin pie!

It really is astonishing when you think about the "hidden" water in the foods we eat. Of course, we don't suggest skipping Thanksgiving dinner, but explore about ways you can shrink the water footprint of your meal:

• Buy local! Reduce the distance your food travels before it hits your plate.
• Go light on the turkey and heavy on locally-grown vegetables.

And there are lots of ways to conserve water directly when preparing your feast and during clean up:

• Thaw food in the refrigerator instead of running hot water over frozen food.
• Fill a bowl with water to rinse your vegetables instead of letting the tap run to wash them.
• Don't let the water run when washing dishes by hand. Plug the drain and fill the sink with soapy water.
• Skip the "prewash" and just scrape plates clean before putting them in the dishwasher.
• Fill the dishwasher to the brim and run it while you take a turkey-induced nap.

Above all, be thankful for the clean and safe groundwater that we use everyday. It's the water we drink and the water that grows our food!

From all of us at The Groundwater Foundation, Happy Thanksgiving!

Groundwater Foundation Staff, from left: Jennifer Wemhoff,
Cindy Kreifels, Doug Sams, Lori Davison, Jane Griffin,
Jessica Wheeler, Anthony Lowndes.

A Day of Giving

by Amy Kessner, The Groundwater Foundation

#GivingTuesday is less than one week away. While many are preparing Thanksgiving dinners and shopping lists, we are busy reaching out and spreading the word about #GivingTuesday and our new program - Groundwater Restoration through Education.

I don't know about you, but I could already use a break from the crazy of the season. Christmas music is already playing in stores. Black Friday is slowly becoming Black Thursday. My house is a disaster with only 24 hours to go until family arrives. My mind is going a million miles a minute. So, I propose we take a moment to pause and reflect on this season. A season of thanks. A season of joy. A season of giving.

A season of thanks.

Today, I am thankful for the water I drink. I am thankful for the water that makes my coffee and gets me going in the morning. I am thankful that as I am moving boxes and organizing our storage room in preparation for the Foundation's move, I have cool, refreshing, clean water to clench my thirst. I am thankful for the people I work with who have devoted their careers to educating others about the importance of protecting and conserving our groundwater. So many things to be thankful for on this ordinary day. What a blessing.

A season of joy.

For those of you who may not know, I began working at the Foundation in August. Thus, today I can rejoice in the fact that I have a job I love. Working with Girl Scouts, Science Olympiad, and other youth programs educating students of all ages and backgrounds about groundwater has brought such joy to my life.

A season of giving.

In a season full of consuming - Black Fridays and Cyber Mondays - it is refreshing to have a day to focus on giving. This season is not just about the hustle and bustle and checking items off of our to-do lists. It's about giving our time to those who need it most. Finding that perfect gift that will make your mother cry. Spending countless hours over a hot stove cooking dinners for our family. Traveling hundreds of miles to see faces not seen since last year. It's about doing something special for a person you love just because you can. It's about giving.

"It's about doing something larger than yourself. It's about serving this world, helping others." Let's make #GivingTuesday a true day of giving. Giving of our time. Giving of our kind words. Giving of our money. Giving of our hearts. Giving of our skills. Anything you may have to offer. #GivingTuesday doesn't have to be just for the nonprofits and charities of the world, it can be a state of mind for all of us.

Join us, The Groundwater Foundation, on December 3rd in celebrating a day dedicated to giving. A day to serve this world. A day to help others.

I'm Thankful For...

This Year I'm Thankful For...
by Jennifer Wemhoff, The Groundwater Foundation

I remember back in elementary school around Thanksgiving our teachers always had us go around the room and say what we were thankful for. I remember hearing things like “I’m thankful for my video games” or “I’m thankful for my new bike” or even “I’m thankful that I don’t have to share a room with my new little brother.” Our perspectives have obviously changed since the third grade! I’m thankful for so many things this year – my husband and family, great friends, good health, a job I enjoy, and even the Husker football team winning the Big 12 North title.

But in reflecting a little harder on the holiday this year, my list of thanks got bigger. I’m thankful to live in a country where we have some of the best drinking water in the world. I’m thankful there are people, agencies, and organizations that work to protect drinking water supplies. I’m thankful, of course, for groundwater, which nourishes my husband and family, my friends, my health, and even the Huskers.

When thinking about the big picture, groundwater should be at the top of people’s Thanksgiving lists. It’s so much more than a natural resource. It directly or indirectly enables us to enjoy those other things on our list. Because without clean, safe, sustainable supplies of drinking water, of which groundwater plays a huge part, we’re all in trouble. And I’m certain no one’s thankful for that!

What about you? What are you thankful for this year? Is groundwater high on your list?